Afternoon.
"Brother..." Seeing all the palace guards trailing after her, Ivy Shen could only call Eli Crane her brother. When a crowd of guards respectfully bowed and invited them into the palace, the clever Eli instantly realized she must have won the cooking contest. As for the 'brother' part, it was obviously just a cover, so he nodded along without missing a beat.
"Brother?" Aiden Chen repeated awkwardly. He had no clue what Little Bird was up to, but since Young Master agreed, he didn’t dare say anything more.
"Big Brother Zhen, your little brother is amazing! Our crown prince absolutely loves Chef Zhen’s cooking!" The squad leader bowed and sucked up to them.
"Thank you!" Eli Crane didn’t argue, just nodded politely.
Ivy walked close beside Eli Crane, a gentle smile on her lips. Looks like heaven’s helping her out too—she’d gotten into the palace way more smoothly than expected. Now, the most important thing was to win the queen’s trust. That would make her next move so much easier!
Once the squad leader had safely brought them in, he handed them off to a eunuch steward named Steward Mao, then hurried off to check if any chefs were still missing.
"Young Master Zhen, please!" Queen Yvonne had specifically ordered him to take good care of them, so Steward Mao made sure to greet them personally—obviously, Young Master Zhen was a VIP!
"Mm." Ivy nodded and followed him into a side residence called Snowfall Pavilion.
"Young Master Zhen, since you requested a quiet place, Snowfall Pavilion is perfect—little bridge, running water, flowers and gardens, the works. Plus, it’s close to the imperial kitchens, so you can come and go as you please." Steward Mao grinned and explained.
"Thanks." Ivy nodded out of politeness and told Aiden Chen to wheel Eli Crane inside first.
"Young Master Zhen, are you sure you don’t need any palace maids to serve you? Don’t worry, our palace maids are all professionally trained and very clever," Steward Mao said, smiling.
"No need," Ivy replied, icy cold.
Steward Mao pursed his lips, a little embarrassed. "Uh, well, if you need anything, just call for the guards outside. They’ll pass on your message."
"Alright, got it. You can go now—we need to rest up so we’ll have energy to cook for the crown prince tonight!" Before Steward Mao could say another word, Ivy walked straight inside.
Steward Mao scowled, flicked his sleeve, and thought to himself, What’s she so smug about? I don’t believe the crown prince will always want roast duck. Once her moment in the spotlight passes, we’ll see how cocky she is. Hmph!
"Eli..." As soon as they entered, Ivy closed the door behind them.
"Little Bird, this room is huge! And so pretty!" Aiden Chen spun around inside. "Whoa, this bed is massive—three people could sleep on it!"
Ivy rolled her eyes. "Aiden, your room’s next door, okay?"
"I know, I know, I’m just saying!" Aiden kept poking around, curious about everything.
"Ivy, what’s going on?" Eli Crane quickly had her sit down and asked.
Ivy gave him a quick version of what happened—carefully leaving out the part about her marrying Caleb Miles and him being her husband. She figured it was better to tell him at the right time, or else he’d just worry himself sick.
"So from what you’re saying, the crown prince seems like a child?"
"Mm, maybe he just didn’t develop properly as a kid!"
"Ivy." Suddenly, Eli took her hand. "I just feel like something’s off. Even though this side residence is supposed to be private, I keep sensing lots of invisible eyes watching us."
"Mm!" Ivy nodded. "Of course. Our identities are unclear and we’re outsiders, so it’s normal for the palace to be on guard. But I’ll figure out a way to win the queen’s trust and slowly lower their guard. For the next couple days, let’s just lay low so they relax a bit. But actually, I can use someone to help us get to know the palace!"
"Who?"
"The crown prince!" Ivy smirked. Caleb Miles, it’s finally your turn to be useful!
Crown Prince’s Quarters
"Do I look good?" Caleb Miles, for once, put on a sapphire-blue robe. The outfit made him look flawless and impossibly regal.
Charlie Qiao blinked in surprise, eyes full of delight but also confusion. The queen had spent a fortune on that robe, but the crown prince had always refused to wear it—so why was he suddenly putting it on today?
"Your Highness, are you hoping to see Miss Ruan?" Charlie Qiao gossiped. Lily Ruan, the beloved daughter of Minister Ruan, was the queen's favorite pick for crown princess, and she’d always adored the prince. The queen had invited her to dinner with Caleb tonight—maybe the prince was finally interested in her?!
"Miss Ruan? Who’s that?" Caleb Miles tilted his head, clearly having no memory of the name.
"Your Highness, Miss Ruan is Minister Ruan’s daughter. Her name’s Lily," Charlie Qiao helpfully reminded him.
"Does it look good?" Caleb ignored the explanation and just checked out his own outfit.
"Yeah, it looks great!" Even though the prince hadn’t listened to him at all, Charlie was still thrilled to see him so happy. He’d have to report this to the queen—she’d be over the moon!
"Oh, so it does look good!" Suddenly, Caleb grinned and dashed out of the room, leaving Charlie stunned for a moment before scrambling to chase after him.
"Young Master Zhen, what are you making?" All the head chefs crowded around Ivy, curious about her unusual cooking style.
"Oh, it’s suancaiyu—sour pickled cabbage fish," Ivy replied without even looking up.
"Sour pickled cabbage fish? You mean you’re using that pickled veg and cheap fish? Isn’t that kind of basic? We’ve got rare fish and fancy ingredients here, but your sauerkraut looks so plain—are you really planning to serve this to the crown prince?" the head chef asked, worried.
The others nodded along. Yeah, suancaiyu was just cheap black fish and some scrappy pickled veggies. Honestly, the kitchen only made that stuff for themselves sometimes, and even then, they barely ate it. Who’d want to eat old sauerkraut anyway?
Ivy didn’t bother answering their doubts—no way was she wasting breath on people who didn’t matter.
"Your Highness! Your Highness!" Suddenly, a frantic shout made everyone in the imperial kitchen freeze. In the next second, all the chefs except Ivy dropped to their knees and greeted, "Your Highness!"
"Alright, alright," Caleb Miles waved them off, not even bothering to look at anyone—his eyes were glued to Ivy, grinning from ear to ear.
Ivy glanced back at him—and froze for a second. That sapphire-blue robe was seriously dazzling, making him look impossibly noble and ridiculously handsome. Back when they were surrounded by other stunners, she’d just thought Caleb was decent-looking, but today? Damn, he was hot. Maybe the saying’s true: clothes make the man, gold makes the Buddha.
"Do I look good?" Caleb flexed his arms and asked Ivy, grinning.
"Yeah, you look great!" That outfit was basically made for him—how could he look this good?
"He said I look good! He said I look good!" Caleb turned to Charlie Qiao, beaming like a kid who just got a gold star.
"Your Highness..." After all that, Charlie Qiao realized the prince had only come to see the roast duck chef. Sure, the guy was gorgeous, but he was still a guy!
"Do you like it? I wore it just for you!" Caleb Miles asked, face bright and eyes innocent, like a kid waiting for praise.
"Yeah, it looks great!" Even though she knew he wasn’t really aware, Ivy couldn’t help smiling at his words.
"Heh heh..." Seeing Ivy smile, Caleb grinned goofily too.
Just then, Steward Mao rushed over waving his long staff dramatically. "Ah, Your Highness, there you are! I’ve been searching for you everywhere!"
"Is there something you need, Steward Mao?" Charlie Qiao cut in, breaking the weird mood.
"Of course! Hurry and bring His Highness to the main hall—Miss Ruan is here, and so is the queen!" Steward Mao grinned, looking like he’d just found a treasure.
"Oh, Miss Ruan’s here?" Charlie brightened and grabbed Caleb’s arm. "Your Highness, Miss Ruan came to see you—let’s go say hi!"
"Not going!" Caleb replied flatly, not even looking back.
"Huh? Not going?" Steward Mao was stunned.
"What does Miss Ruan have to do with me? Are we even close?" Caleb shot back, annoyed.
Steward Mao quickly explained, "Oh, Your Highness, how could you forget? Miss Ruan is Minister Ruan’s only daughter, and she’s been devoted to you for years—she’s turned down countless suitors just for you!"
"Like I care!"
Steward Mao’s mouth twitched. He tried again, "Your Highness, how can you say that? Miss Ruan is loyal, talented in all the arts, and a rare beauty!"
"You like her?"
"Of course! Miss Ruan is beloved by everyone—she’s so kind!" Steward Mao said honestly. She never lost her temper and was gentle even to the servants—a true treasure for the Endless Indulgence Kingdom!
"Well, if you like her, she’s yours."
Steward Mao nearly choked—was the prince trying to kill him with that line?!
Charlie Qiao jumped in, "Come on, Your Highness, be good—Miss Ruan came just to see you! It’s your birthday, and the queen wants to give you a big present!"
"A big present? What kind of present?" Caleb Miles perked up at the mention of a gift.
Steward Mao covered his mouth, chuckling, "What kind of big present? A crown princess, of course!"
"Crown princess? What’s that—can you eat it?" Caleb asked, totally clueless.
"Enough, Your Highness, let’s go. You’ll find out soon," Charlie Qiao said, not sure how to explain, dragging him outside.
"No, I’m not going! I want to stay here and play!" Caleb protested.
"Oh, Your Highness, you can’t stay here—it’s filthy! Come on, let’s go, don’t keep the queen waiting," Steward Mao said, grabbing his other arm.
"No, no! I want food—I want to eat!" Caleb whined, shaking his head.
"Be good, there’s plenty of tasty food in the main hall—stuff you’ll love!" Charlie Qiao coaxed.
"No! I only want what he cooks!" Caleb kept turning his head, staring at Ivy.
Steward Mao jumped in, "Your Highness, let’s go first—Young Master Zhen will send food over, alright?" He turned to Ivy: "Young Master Zhen, when you’re done, bring the food to His Highness." Before Ivy could answer, he and Charlie dragged Caleb away.
Ivy frowned. So today was his birthday? And Lily Ruan was the backup crown princess?!
***** Section Break *****
PS: Thank you all for the diamonds, red envelopes, flowers, and coffee! This chapter gets an extra thousand words!